THE FALLACY OF FATALITY

Or, On Abortion and the Death Penalty

I had been thinking for quite some time what to title this blog. I had been wondering when I was going to do it. I had initially thought it up on New Years Eve, but I decided it would be too morbid to post on such a night. So, here we are. Today there is a pro-life march in DC, so I figured that now's better than ever.

Before reading this, to any woman who has had an abortion: Please understand that this is not directed at you. This is not a rant on the morality of the act. This is a piece that is to try and understand people's position on the matter, whether they be voters or elected officials. I am not chastising you.

People confuse me. Let's get that straight out of the way. The liberal left has been constantly hammering presidential candidate Mitt Romney for changing his position on a few issues to jockey in with national opinion and that of his base. I'm not sure what issue it was on (ironically, I think it was abortion) but the point remains the same: These people, notably the left, were criticizing him for changing his position. We're not here to argue why he did it, though, or any of that stuff.

The left platform, in general, is pro-choice for women, meaning that they choose to uphold the Roe v. Wade decision, but they are against the death penalty. I'm citing Wikipedia because for something like this, a general consensus as per the masses seems like reliable data. This is clipped (using a fancy add-on for Firefox) directly from Wikipedia. This is part of a long list of "Positions Associated With Modern Liberalism."

clipped from en.wikipedia.org

The belief in a woman's right to abortion by Roe v. Wade standards

Government role in alternative energy development

Government responsibility to supervise ports and infrastructure in the public interest

A spirit of international cooperation and strong alliances

The elimination of the death penalty

So, it's not like I'm making this stuff up. Entertain my train of thought for a few moments.

Liberals do not have a problem with a innocent human who has not yet even breathed air, let alone committed an act, be executed, but they are against a human who has been convicted through our legal system of a heinous act being executed. This does not seem to add up for me.

Now, I understand that liberals are supposed to really exemplify individual liberties, so that villain has a right to live and that woman has a right to choose about that child's future. The thing is, the villain has willingly committed the act, and presumably he knew the consequences. The baby, however, has no say in the matter, and the woman is sometimes just looking out for her own good.

I couldn't find a source on Wikipedia that explicitly stated the conservative position, but I know it to be pro-life, pro-death penalty. This means that, with the exception of incest or rape, abortion should be forbade. It also means that in cases warranting it, the death penalty should be on the table, and exercised if decided as such.

Innocent babies will be allowed to survive, convicted criminals will be tried to the full extent of the law. Of course, for an executioner, that poses all sorts of mental damage of having to execute a living developed human. I'd also like to point out that no one with much of a medical background are allowed to administer the drug cocktail in the lethal injection. The Hippocratic Oath, penned by Hippocrates in the 4th century BC, explicitly states:

clipped from en.wikipedia.org

I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody who asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. Similarly I will not give to a woman an abortive remedy. In purity and holiness I will guard my life and my art.

It states that the doc can't give a deadly drug to anyone, or help a woman with an abortion. Some modern additions to the Hippocratic oath state:

clipped from en.wikipedia.org

To practice and prescribe to the best of my ability for the good of my patients, and to try to avoid harming them. This beneficial intention is the purpose of the physician. However, this item is still invoked in the modern discussions of euthanasia.

Never to do deliberate harm to anyone for anyone else's interest. Physician organizations in most countries have strongly denounced physician participation in legal executions. However, in a small number of cases, most notably Oregon^[2] and the Netherlands^[3], a doctor can perform euthanasia, by both his and the patient's consent.

Which brings me to my next point. TIME magazine recently featured an article that was pretty anti-death penalty. The major case they made is that these convicts aren't being executed properly, as the people doing it don't have medical background and don't know the proper amounts of which chemicals, how to mix it for the patient's body mass, how to inject it, how to find a vein, et cetera.

I would call Roe v. Wade almost a decision that had to be made the way it was. Did you know that the only constitutional amendment that limited our freedoms was Prohibition, which was repealed with another amendment? Limiting another freedom would have had repercussions that echoed for a long time. However, the defined legality of it in Roe v. Wade is not a point in this article.

I personally think that abortion is a bad idea. It is the holiest of all holies in the church of instant gratification. Sleep around now, write off the consequences 9 months later. What really bothers me is that being responsible about their sexual habits, and understanding that when he puts his in hers, it makes a baby not just a good time, would go a long way. Other forms of contraception (either the latex or the pills) are also available. What messages does this send to young people about their sexual habits? That there is no consequence?

Ultimately, I think a respect for life is necessary. That means understanding and accepting the consequences of actions, be them having unprotected sex or knocking off a few coworkers. The consequences of those, respectively, are a baby (that's why those body parts are there) and a death sentence. I think that the pro-choice, anti-death penalty position is wrong. There's no consequence.

-Ze Baron

WHAT A GENTLEMEN

Considering I just remodeled my page, giving all the men another wonderful Marylin Monroe shot to gawk at, I figured the least I could do would be to include something for the ladies.

I give you Tom Cruise.

...and you thought Michael Jackson's changes were bad.

-Ze Baron

MULTIPLY APPRECIATION WEEK (and a CONTEST)

Multiply Appreciation Week is well underway. If you'd like to visit some of the activities hosted here at Refugees, go to our notes, here. If you would like more information on the goings-on here and in the Multiply community, here are two more links:

• Meg is hosting links to Multiply Appreciation stories on her blog. Find out more here.
• Dantcer also has an extensive collection of links, found here.

I would encourage you to post your stories on your pages, and link to them in Refugees and at one of the above links. Also, you could post them on your page and on a note here, providing Meg or Linda with a link. Again, members are hosting some games and entertainment over in our notes section, so be sure to check them out. Games and contests will continue throughout the week.

I would like everyone to realize that after Multiply Appreciation Week, all future games and non-related material will be deleted if not expressly authorized by myself. Some members have expressed negative thoughts about our deviation from our mission. Again, these games and celebrations are in part of Multiply Appreciation Week.

If you have any concerns about Refugees and the goings-on now, or in the future, please send me a private message explaining your thoughts and I will take your concerns into consideration.

↓↓ ↓↓↓ ↓↓↓
Also, in case you didn't notice, our previous theme was a beautiful bright blue theme put together by our very own Missy. The theme was great, it even incorporated our logo into the image banner across the top. Unfortunately, I was trying to edit it, and being unexperienced with CSS, I screwed it up pretty bad one night. That's why we are currently using this easy-to-read but drab theme.

In celebration for Multiply Appreciate Week, I will be hosting a contest for a new theme for Y!360 Refugees. You can design your own or you can submit one that someone else has created. If you did not create it, make sure the theme owner has given permission for it to be used. If not, obtain permission, or the entry will be voided.

Unlike the group headshot contest, however, this contest is not open to voting. The group theme is important in that if it is unreadable or lewd or anything like that, it will have adverse effects on the group. That's why this contest is going to be chosen by executive decision, meaning that I'll choose. You guys trust my judgement, right? (Don't answer that...)

-Ze Baron

LIFE'S A BITCH

And for those of you who are still optimestic, join me, a cynic. Recent events today (IRL) have confirmed to me that there are many people out there who do not hold helping out the fellow man high in regard. There are many people who just like to be problematic and give others problems.

Now, I can handle bullshit, so don't worry too much about me. Let's just pray that I don't find choice words for the problem-maker.

More Sunday (maybe.)

-Ze Baron

What a Wonderful World

Folks, I'll have you know I'm still plenty alive. This last week was a little busy and I forsee this next week being rather stressful, so I'm not sure how much time I'll have to blog. I'll try to make it around and comment, though, as usual.

I've got a small piece of good news... I bought a new computer. I'm going to keep running this one until it wakes up dead one morning. They new one is a really fancy (and hence, rather expensive) one for the baronly things that I do. That, and it has all sorts of fancy gagets to play my games in exquisite detail.

Speaking of which, I order the damn thing on Wendesday and got an email they shipped it on Thursday. Saturday I come home, check the order status, and find that there was an "Unsuccessful Delivery Attempt." I went outside and looked around, and FedEx had stuck one of those "We tried, but you weren't home to sign" stickers to my door and I hadn't even seen it. Today it's Sunday, so they aren't running, and it says they don't do home delivery on Mondays! Now I have to wait until Tuesday. I hope that sticker is wrong and I get my PC tomorrow.

Anyway, yes, that's about it, folks. Also, if you haven't seen it, Multiply has done some renovations. Check that out here.

-Ze Baron

POP QUIZ

Think you're smart?

Take the pop quiz! First, I suggets you go through and answer all the questions you think you know, and then you are allowed to look up the others. It is unacceptable to talk with others taking this quiz, but you can use the general internet.

You have until 9:00 PM EST to submit your answers to my email, arrow.of.day@gmail.com. While that's four hours away, I suggest that you give yourself a comfortable one-hour challenge to see if you can get it done.

All accepted quizzes (before 9 PM) are then corrected. The first place winner has the most questions correct, on down. Grand prize winner is the first 100% correct quiz. All answers are subject to our interpretation.

Good luck.

-Ze Baron

Tammy (rk2this)'s 15 Questions:

1.)This US state's name means 'People of the south wind'. The buffalo and the honeybee are just two of its symbols. It is located equidistant from the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean. Susanna Salter (the first woman mayor in the US) was elected mayor of a city in this state.

2.)True or false: All US Presidents have worn glasses.

3.) "Do, or do not. There is no try" was a mystical phrase used in which classic film?

4.)What is alektorophobia?

5). What is the name of the first book by Darwin that directly dealt with evolution?

6.) True or false: Cats can steal the air from a baby's mouth.

7.) Complete the state motto of Pennsylvania: Virtue, Liberty and _________ .

8.) What does a "Mohel" do ?

a.perform marriages

b.perform circumcisions

c.slaughter sheep

d.design Mohair coats

9). The food colorants, cochineal and carmine, are made from what?

a.a type of root

b. flower petals

c. beetles

d.beet powder

10).What is the origin of the color ‘magenta?”

11.)On “The Simpsons,” where did “Santa’s Little Helper” come from?

12.) This fictional teacher calls Harry Potter "a nasty little boy who considers rules to be beneath him" and taunts him during lessons.

13.)What is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature?

14.) What is the common name for the class Aves, which consists of over 8,500 living species?

15.) How many hubcaps does Steve McQueen's car lose in the famed chase scene from Bullitt?

Ze Baron's 15 Questions:

1. What is the official name for Mormon underwear, and what does it signify?
2. Interlingua, a language developed by the International Auxiliary Language Association, is designed to be easily learned by people with what language family as their native tongue?
3. What is the main difference between strategic bombing and tactical bombing?
4. What’s Alexander the Great’s epitaph…in Latin?
5. Who was George Washington’s Secretary of War?
6. What’s the bow number of the ship on which the Japanese surrendered in WWII?
7. Radiocarbon dating is workable up to about how many years old?
8. What two leaders of what two countries negotiated the Louisiana Purchase?
9. What’s the highest point in the continental United States?
10. Describe the Sampson option in general terms.(A sentence, more or less.)
11. Why can’t the Vatican, a sovereign country, sign the UN Human Rights Declaration?
12. What is the only nation that is completely landlocked by one other nation?
13. Name two of the four (excluding the Holy See) small nations in Europe.
14. What animal are the Canary Islands named after?
15. On Ze Baron’s Multiply page, his location is listed as Antarctica. If you ask him how it is in Antarctica, and he tells you it’s wonderful, except for the polar bear and penguin poop in the yard, how can you tell he doesn’t live there?

POP QUIZ

Think you're smart?

Take the pop quiz! First, I suggets you go through and answer all the questions you think you know, and then you are allowed to look up the others. It is unacceptable to talk with others taking this quiz, but you can use the general internet.

You have until 9:00 PM EST to submit your answers to my email, arrow.of.day@gmail.com. While that's four hours away, I suggest that you give yourself a comfortable one-hour challenge to see if you can get it done.

All accepted quizzes (before 9 PM) are then corrected. The first place winner has the most questions correct, on down. Grand prize winner is the first 100% correct quiz. All answers are subject to our interpretation.

Good luck.

-Ze Baron

Tammy (rk2this)'s 15 Questions:

1.)This US state's name means 'People of the south wind'. The buffalo and the honeybee are just two of its symbols. It is located equidistant from the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean. Susanna Salter (the first woman mayor in the US) was elected mayor of a city in this state.

2.)True or false: All US Presidents have worn glasses.

3.) "Do, or do not. There is no try" was a mystical phrase used in which classic film?

4.)What is alektorophobia?

5). What is the name of the first book by Darwin that directly dealt with evolution?

6.) True or false: Cats can steal the air from a baby's mouth.

7.) Complete the state motto of Pennsylvania: Virtue, Liberty and _________ .

8.) What does a "Mohel" do ?

a.perform marriages

b.perform circumcisions

c.slaughter sheep

d.design Mohair coats

9). The food colorants, cochineal and carmine, are made from what?

a.a type of root

b. flower petals

c. beetles

d.beet powder

10).What is the origin of the color ‘magenta?”

11.)On “The Simpsons,” where did “Santa’s Little Helper” come from?

12.) This fictional teacher calls Harry Potter "a nasty little boy who considers rules to be beneath him" and taunts him during lessons.

13.)What is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature?

14.) What is the common name for the class Aves, which consists of over 8,500 living species?

15.) How many hubcaps does Steve McQueen's car lose in the famed chase scene from Bullitt?

Ze Baron's 15 Questions:

1. What is the official name for Mormon underwear, and what does it signify?
2. Interlingua, a language developed by the International Auxiliary Language Association, is designed to be easily learned by people with what language family as their native tongue?
3. What is the main difference between strategic bombing and tactical bombing?
4. What’s Alexander the Great’s epitaph…in Latin?
5. Who was George Washington’s Secretary of War?
6. What’s the bow number of the ship on which the Japanese surrendered in WWII?
7. Radiocarbon dating is workable up to about how many years old?
8. What two leaders of what two countries negotiated the Louisiana Purchase?
9. What’s the highest point in the continental United States?
10. Describe the Sampson option in general terms.(A sentence, more or less.)
11. Why can’t the Vatican, a sovereign country, sign the UN Human Rights Declaration?
12. What is the only nation that is completely landlocked by one other nation?
13. Name two of the four (excluding the Holy See) small nations in Europe.
14. What animal are the Canary Islands named after?
15. On Ze Baron’s Multiply page, his location is listed as Antarctica. If you ask him how it is in Antarctica, and he tells you it’s wonderful, except for the polar bear and penguin poop in the yard, how can you tell he doesn’t live there?